Product Description

Aimed at A level students, this immensely readable book provides an ideal introduction to studying English at degree level. Illustrated with examples from essential A level texts, Doing English examines the evolution of English as a subject and questions the assumptions that lie behind approaches to literature. Doing English includes chapters on:

• the history of English,
• doing Criticism,
• jargon and technical terms,
• language,
• English as Heritage,
• the Canon.

Dealing with exciting new ideas and contentious debates that make up English today, this volume is an essential purchase for those students embarking on English at degree level.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #152756 in eBooks
• Published on: 2007-03-14
• Released on: 2007-03-14
• Format: Kindle eBook
• Number of items: 1

Review
'Excellent: a thought-provoking and accessible argument exploring the changing character of English Literature as it has developed outside the school curriculum over the last half century.' - The English and Media Magazine

'Exactly what students need.' - Times Education Supplement

From the Author
Why I wrote it: why the Slovakian reviewer didn't like it
I wrote Doing English after a great deal of experience teaching undergraduates and A-level students English. I wanted to explain the changing nature of the subject in the UK because English has changed enormously over the last 20 years or so. At A-level, this is reflected in the new Assessment Objectives that all students must fulfil. At University level, these changes are often reflected by an ever increasing range of approaches to literature. I wanted to explain what you might expect English to be, and, more importantly, why it was like that.

I am not surprised by the review from Slovakia. One of the odd things about English and the study of literature in general - unlike many science subjects - is that it is done very, very differently in different countries. (For example, only English Language students study the 'History of the Language' in the UK: in Slovakia, it is a large part of the curriculum for all English Students. I don't discuss it, so no wonder the Slovakian reader didn't find it, and was, consequently, disappointed). I wrote this book for British A-level and Undergraduate students of English. If you are one, you won't be disappointed. If you are not (if you want a book about linguistics, say, or learning how to speak English), you will be.

From the Back Cover
Aimed at students in the final year of secondary education or beginning degrees, this immensely readable book provides the ideal introduction to studying English literature. The book will:
* orientate you, by explaining what you are doing when you 'do English' * equip you for future study, by introducing current ideas literature, context and interpretation * enable you to bridge the gap between 'traditional' and 'theoretical' approaches to literature, showing why English has had to change and what those changes mean for you.
Doing English deals with the exciting new ideas and contentious debates that make up English today, covering a broad range of issues from the history of literary studies and the canon to Shakespeare, politics and the future of English. The second edition has been revised throughout and includes a new chapter on narrative. Robert Eaglestone's refreshingly clear explanations and advice make this volume essential reading for all those planning to 'do English' at advanced or degree level.